Cabal: Nations at War
by AsIDo
Summary: It is the beginning of the human age. Though the Sage Tower has collapsed, two sages still remain. With both sages vying for control, can they piece together a fractured world or will a new power rise and succeed where they have failed.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own CABAL online.

Understanding the Present

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

~ George Santayana

Long ago, the cabal known as Prometheus cleansed the land with fury and destruction. Amidst the endless devastation, seven great masters of Force Power led the remaining survivors to reconstruction. These seven masters were the students of Saint Valentine. They were the Seven Sages; Sirius, Capella, Rigel, Procyon, Betalguese, Aldebaran and Pollux. In time, humanity prospered under the guidance of the seven sages. A great tower was built where they and their predecessors would rule and prevent a second Dire Destruction.

After the construction of the Sage Tower and reconstruction of the various cities, the Merchants Guild was established. Shortly after this, raiders began attacking trade caravans between Polis Judin and Polis Medinak. With the Great Sea of Fracia to the west and the Engreef Mountains to the southeast the only land route was through Hoddn Forrest the across the Sainteye River. To counter the constant attacks from raiders, The Polis Judin Knightage was established and soon put in charge of the regular army. However, since Polis Medinak did not have a regular army, mercenaries were hired to patrol the trade routes. Soon what was once a small band of fighters hired to guard passing traders turned into the Medinak Mercenary Group as their numbers swelled to rival the regular army of Polis Judin. Between the two forces now regularly patrolling trade routes, the raider clans were finding it harder and harder to intercept the caravans. To counter this threat, once rival clans began joining forces, thus the Thieves' Guild was born and in time spread throughout Nevareth.

During this time, Nevareth underwent an age of rediscovery as archeologists and adventurers were dispatched by the Tower of Sages. Core technology became the subject of great interest. To properly study the properties of core technology, a separate group was established to uncover the secrets of the cores and how to effectively use them. This organization became known as the Mage Guild. Through the efforts of both the Tower of Sages and the Mage Guild, core technology was not only rediscovered in Nevareth but was also advancing. For a time, it seemed humanity was beginning to piece itself together. But, although we may forget the past, the past never forgets us. Soon, strange events started to occur around Nevareth. Few knew that these events would shape the future of Nevareth.

In the continent of Midreth to the north there were strange sightings of undead beings prowling the frigid wastes. Rumors began to spread of the existence of a cult of heretics that opposed the rule of the Sage Tower. These heretics were said to have the power to raise the dead to do their will. Soon, the stench of death and decay lingered in the air and it was said that if one stared into a blizzard hard enough they could see large shapes lumbering about behind the curtain of snow and cries of anguish accompanying the howl of the wind. The many fighters sent to investigate seemed to be swallowed by the never ending blizzard, never to be heard from again.

To the west in continent Pasture mysterious disappearances stated to occur. Observation posts deep within the forest were left empty, the men stationed within gone. At first, it was taught that they were attacked by wild animals or had an accident while scouting the forest. But then, the very forest itself began to change. Animals became more aggressive and sported deadly mutations. The trees themselves became predators and would lash out at anyone who got near them. The very ground itself ran red as though it were stained with the blood of all those lost within the thick jungle.

As if spurned by recent events a coup was staged in the Thieves Guild. A much more sinister force seemed to be leading the guild as their new leader, Kashu was said to be dealing with demons. It no longer became safe to walk the streets of Polis Judin and Polis Medinak. With the Judin Knightage and Medinak Mercenary Group tied up with one another, there was little anyone could do to prevent the massacre in the streets as people were attacked by unknown creatures and found the next day with their throats ripped apart with not a drop of blood remaining in their veins. Event the town guards patrolling the streets were not spared in the onslaught. As the body count increased both cities came to a standstill. Trade ceased and every door was sealed as if to keep the demons out.

Neighbor turned on neighbor, trade routes were severed and conflicts escalated as the people demanded answers from the Sage Tower. One by one, the secrets once kept from them by their very protectors was revealed to them. It seemed humanity was once again on the brink of collapse as war loomed over the horizon and demons poured into the land.

Then a great being descended upon the land, striking down the organization which had controlled humanity for so long. In one day Prometheus, the Merchants Guild, the Thieves Guild, the Judin Knightage, the Mercenary Group, the Mages' Guild and the Tower of Sages were wiped out. Some say that it was the second coming of the Lord of Destruction, others believe it was the wrath of Saint Valentine but few will ever know the truth behind these events.

Amidst the destruction, two sages survived the collapse of the Tower of Sages; sage Capella and Procyon. It is believed that they were survived thanks to the effort of the sage Betalguese who held off the creature assaulting the tower long enough for them to escape. However the timing for their reappearance was almost too perfect which led others to speculate that they knew beforehand of the attack on the Sage Tower. Regardless, as soon as both sages reemerged people began gathering around them as both sages preached different ideals as to how humanity should advance from this point on.

Capella's ideals were based on scholarship and modernism, while negating the relics of the past such as the previously privileged Tower of Sages. Unlike previous sages, Capella actively supports research into new battle styles. To escape the shadow of the Honorable Age she believes humanity must develop. She dreams of a Nevareth where all are equal where all can reap results justified by their efforts. To do this she plans to open information previously restricted to the public, and that all people should be allowed to pursue their areas of interest. As her views reflect what the people of Nevareth desire she quickly gathered a large number of followers. If sufficient education to expand the understanding of the Force is provided and logic and reason realized, she believes that heresy will disappear as its basis on groundless theories and lies packaged under the name of the religion is revealed. Her ultimate wish if for all people to be able to freely use the Force. For this reason, education is a key facilitator for her vision. And for education equality, the privilged class must disappear. The most representative of such privileged class is the Tower of Sages. She states that the Tower of Sages should be dissolved with the various polises uniting to carry out its role instead. In this way, the efficient re-distribution and sharing of resources and wealth can be achieved. For this, there is a need for an organization. This organization would be a council of representatives from each polis selected by a popular vote.

Procyon however dreams of a Nevareth led by an exceptional ruler who reigns with an iron fist in such a way that the people will have no other worries and can simply follow along in order to live well. His basis stance is that the Tower of Sages should be taken over. However, the ideology should remain in place while a shift in the role would be inevitable. He believes that the time of chaos and uncertainty can be quelled by a single excellent and strong leader. That leader should be none other than the most outstanding Sage. As a Sage, he is also a politician and a father to the world. As for such a single Sage, he states that it can be anyone in Nevareth who has received excellent education and exhibits the most outstanding qualities. He believes that during the time that power was shared by the Seven Sages, their subtle antagonism and feuding caused Nevareth to miss opportunities for further development. In following, he is organizing a unified polis government under the lead of a single Sage. With the concentration in one domain of the previously dispersed resources, early and special education program can be efficiently instituted. And, as the talent of Nevareth expands through such systematic education, the competition to decide the successor will become more intense.

Though both Capella and Procyon emphasize the importance of education, they differ in one fundamental aspect. Capella strives for equal education that will promote synergy and subsequent development. On the contrary, Procyon emphasizes education geared toward developing a single most outstanding being. The rivalry between Procyon and Capella was so great that conflicts between the two factions seemed unavoidable and would soon would escalate to a point where war would be inevitable. With humanity thrown into disarray will the two remaining sages piece Nevareth together or tear down an already fractured world...

…the revolution has only just begun.

A.n:This story takes place after the main story quests. Creative criticism is appreciated.


	2. Unknown Heroes

Heroes History Forgot

One is left with the horrible feeling now that war settles nothing; that to win a war is as disastrous as to lose one.

~Agatha Cristie

Azkal raced down the narrow corridor. How could he have been so foolish as to be caught in a trap like that? When he had arrived back at the hideout, Arionel said that Yuan had charged off to face Patren before he had fully awakened. Azkal did not doubt her skills, Yuan was the best blader in all of Nevareth but she was facing a man with the power to destroy the entire world. Not to mention Silverwood was probably up to his usual tricks.

Shaking the taught out of his head Azkal charged on. Around him bodies littered the corridor. Based on the various mutilated corpses he could tell Yuan was in a rage. For a moment he felt sorry for Patren. After all he was but a child caught up in the schemes of an organization bent on shaping the world in their image.

Azkal stopped as the he entered a large hall. Rubble littered the floor, what used to be a corridor had been completely caved in while the ground was splashed with blood. He scanned the room before his eyes fell on a bloody and very upset Yuan leaning on a cracked wall. Based on the blood stains the crack was probably the result of her body impacting it. She was in bad shape but still breathing.

Azkal rushed to her side. But as he checked her for injuries most of her wounds had sealed leaving only a thin red mark where large gashes should have been. Upon further inspection he found she had no broken bones either. "…wasn't strong enough…couldn't beat him."

Puzzled, Azkal began questioning Yuan. "What happened here, where is Patren?"

"Gone…death giant…camp, others…there-" Yuan managed before passing out.

Based on the state of her wounds or lack thereof, Azkal guessed Sal had been here and probably every other Warrior of Knight Star as well, which meant he was the only one not fighting. For the second time that day, he mentally slapped himself and rushed to the death giant camp. Yuan would be fine for now, his team needed him.

0o0o0o

Ouske steadied her breathing before drawing force from her being and channeling it into a two separate crystals. One crystal acted as the base for her astral bow while the other would form the arrow. Raw energy materialized at her fingertips as she went through the motions of visualizing the form and behavior of the arrow.

Most force archers could only fire arrows as pure energy or enhance its effects with a certain element but unfortunately for the monsters now guarding the portal leading to Patren, Ouske was a completer class force handler which is the second highest rank in proficiency.

As she released the arrow its color shifted from shining silver to black. Propelled by the force contained within the astral bow the arrow traveled at a much faster speed than a regular arrow and managed to pierce two demons before lodging itself through the heart of a creature which looked like an oversized hawk wit blade tipped feathers. The arrow then expanded into a large sphere, sucking in nearby creatures before imploding. What was left of those caught within was a akin to what you would find in a meat grinder.

Sparing a glance around as she formed another arrow, she spotted Gatz battling an extremely large and grotesque flesh golem. Gatz always chose the largest targets reasoning that he could match them blow for blow with that oversized sword of his. Ouske couldn't imagin how he managed to swing that sword around, no one else in their group could even lift the damn thing.

Guarding Gatz's flank was Sal. Being a force shielder she excelled at defense and counter attack. Besides Gatz, she was the most heavily armored. For force shielders, the astral shield was both defensive and offensive. A fact Sal exploited to the fullest as she faced multiple demons head on. Although heavily armored, Sal possessed the dexterity to rival most bladers.

As Ouske prepared another shot the whole chamber suddenly shimmered. She could feel the force in the air thicken and condense as if being drawn into a single point. A split second later a massive explosion shook the cavern and Ouske was literally knocked off her feet. For a moment Ouske suspected Azkal had finally made it to the fight but she when the dust setteled, there was only Sophia, smirking at the destruction she had caused.

"Watch it Sophia, you almost fried me there!" Getting back on her feet, Ouske fixed the wizard with a steely glare.

"If you hadn't noticed this cavern in crawling with monsters, so pardon me if I don't minimize my destructive potential." Sophia shot back, before turning her attention to the battle at hand.

Ouske was about to reply when a blur passed her vision and an arm still clutching a large crudely fashioned axe fall beside her. Behind her what was once a towering beast was now missing an arm and sported a large gash in its chest extending from its hip to its shoulder. It gave out a weak groan before collapsing to the ground.

Ouske could only blink in surprise before focusing back on the battle. She had made a fatal mistake and had almost gotten killed. The blur she had seen was definitely Edani. He was a ghost on a battle field. In terms of skill he had only reached grand master rank which was a step down from a completer but his speed was that of a transcender. The only evidence of his presence was a mutilated corpse or a blur of movement before enemies would fall around you.

Charging up another arrow and taking aim once more at the horde before them Ouske wondered if they would ever make it to that portal in time. As she released the arrow, she made herself a promise. The next time she saw Azkal, she was going to shoot him in the kneecaps.

0o0o0o

This was the worst day in his life. First he had fallen for a trap which his teammates had cautioned against then, he had discovered that Yuan had charged headlong into battle and arrived too late and now he was running as fast as his legs would carry him through an undead infested winter wonderland to hopefully regroup with his teammates in an underground catacomb somewhere beneath the death giant camp.

Azkal cursed his luck for the hundredth time that day as he continued on through the blizzard. He could almost spot the entrance to the rendezvous location in the side of a mountain and immediately sped up. Azkal would later regret his decision however as he lost his footing and tripped before slamming into a solid piece of iron.

Said solid piece of iron was in fact the grieves of a very angry death giant. Standing at full height, death giants were over twelve feet tall and wielded battle axes that would put most warriors to shame. Their thick armor was on par with that of the armor sets worn by warriors and force shielders and could withstand massive punishment.

Channeling his force from his inner core to his legs before launching himself backwards, Azkal managed to distance himself with the death giant. In an instant he was back on his feet with his blade drawn.

The death giant charged, swinging its heavy war hammer violently. Azkal barely managed to dodge the onslaught before launching an attack of his own. Dodging a downward swing of the war hammer, Azkal launched himself using a force enhance charge at the death giant, thrusting his blade forward just as the death giant made another swing. The swing narrowly missed Azkal, allowing his blade to sink deep between the plate armor of the right arm and shoulder.

Using this to his advantage Azkal coursed his force through his blade, causing an explosion as the force destabilized around the blade, ripping the entire arm apart. The death giant let loose an agonizing howl but Azkal's assult was not over yet. Using the death giant as a launching platform, he kicked off the death giant chest while charging his orb. Unlike the crystal that focuses the power of the force, the orb amplifies it.

Landing a distance away, Azkal thrust his fist forward. The force accumulated in the orb launched forward, energy crackling from the projectile as it raced forward, releasing a shockwave as it slammed into the death giant. The chest plate buckled inwards as energy coursed through the death giant, ripping apart muscle tissue and breaking bones in the process. The death giant groaned before collapsing to the ground.

Azkal let out a sigh as his knees buckled from under him. The combined fatigue from running all day and tapping into his energies had left him winded. Azkal had no time to rest however. Through the snow he could see large shapes lumbering towards his position .It seemed the battle had attracted the attention of every death giant in the vicinity. For the hundred and first time that day, Azkal cursed his luck before pushing himself to his feet.

* * *

The children all waited in anticipation for the man to continue. After a moment one could wait no longer. "What happed next?" In a swift motion the man stood and regarded the small band of children that had gathered around to hear his tale. Smiling, he motioned to the setting sun.

"You know the rules, no stories after sundown." The gathering children let out various protests but dissipated once the man simply shrugged and refused to continue. Once the last child had left, the man pulled a hood over his head and proceeded down the streets of Vedas.

He took a turn down the many streets when he felt a hand reach over and grab his shoulder. "That was a very interesting tale you told back there." The voice sounded young but had an authoritative flare that spoke of experience. Turning slightly so he could get a better look at the man behind him but still concealing his face with his hood.

The young man who had approached him was in his twenties. He had red hair which fell just past his shoulders and was clad in a faded green jacket and cargo pants fitted with light armor typical of those from the adventurers' guild before the fall of the Sage Tower and a backpack slung around his shoulder. He had friendly features and gave off an aura of calm around him.

Immediately a smile graced the features of the hooded man. "Freed, it's been too long. I haven't seen you since the fall." The fall he was referring to was that of the Sage Tower. Freed regarded the fighter standing before him. He had chiseled features and sported a scar that ran from the centre of his forehead down past his left eye and ending just past his cheek. Under his tattered hood and cloak he could make out his battle suit. The green of osmium gleamed under his tattered garb and beneath the veneer of a wandering storyteller; Freed could still see the force blader that stood with him against Prometheus.

"Well, a lot of things have happened. I ran into Rin and Arionel a while back. It seems Rin is restarting the thieves' guild. Arionel's tagging along with her." Freed replied as the continued down the street.

Azkal considered this as he fell in step with Freed. "Did you hear, Capella and Procyon are recruiting fighter like there's no tomorrow. It seems like we just saved the world yesterday and humanity has already started tearing itself apart."

The two adventurers turned down an alleyway before Freed motioned Azkal to stop. Gazing down the alleyway to make sure no one was around Freed continued in a hushed tone. "I have a plan Azkal, a plan Sirius agrees with. Under the guidance of the Capella and Procyon the world will be plunged into endless war. But we can stop this, just as we stopped Prometheus before."

Azkal regarded his comrade before nodding in understanding. "You plan to contend for Nevareth. What makes you think the people will follow you when they cannot even decide which sage to follow?"

Freed grinned at this before leaning closer to Azkal and whispered "I have the King's blade. The time of the sages has passed. If we allow them to rule, the all we have done would be for naught. This is what Patren would have wanted; this is what sage Valentine would have wanted."

Azkal considered this for a moment. Just months after the fall of the Sage Tower, Procyon and Capella had splintered Nevareth. War would soon engulf the world once more and Azkal was stuck in between without a cause. Freed could be charismatic at times and had experienced the horrors of war. But Azkal had his doubts if Freed was the right choice. Would he be another Sage Valentine or turn into a mad tyrant.

In less than a second Azkal drew his blade, the dark green osmium blade pressed against Freed's throat as he stared him squarely in the eyes. "Should you stray from this path, even for a moment, I will not hesitate to strike you down, just as I struck against Patren," Freed did not flinch, as Azkal continued "until then, you have my blade."

Just as quickly as it was drawn, the blade disappeared back into his sheath. Freed released a breath he had not known he was holding. Straightening, Freed turned to leave. He had achieved what he had come to do. Rin had promised the support of the thieves' guild and Arionel would follow just as she always had. Now he just needed to take care of Yuan.

"Azkal," Patren called over his shoulder just as Azkal was about to leave. "I need you to find Yuan. Last I heard she was in the Spine Mountains over at Pasture."

At this Azkal's curiosity was piqued. "That's interesting. I taught she was still after Silverwood and unless I'm mistaken my sources tell me he's somewhere in Midreth."

Freed shook his head then replied. "She faced him in Polis Liber two weeks ago. Apparently fighters from Procyon witnessed the fight and Yuan being a living legend; they challenged her to a duel and in the confusion, Silverwood escaped. Just find her before Procyon tries to recruit her or worse, kill her to make sure Capella can't get her hands on her."

At this Azkal merely nodded and continued on his way. He couldn't tell if Freed would be the best choice for humanity but he could stay close and strike him down should he prove to be a tyrant in the making. Azkal hoped with all his heart that day would never come. For now, he needed to find the greatest blader Nevareth had ever known.

* * *

a.n: alright, for those of you who do not know Arionel, Freed, Patren, Silverwood, and Yuan are npc's in the game. 'Warrior of knight star' is a title you get after completing a quest early on in the game. Instead of having one person battle Patren I changed it a bit and made it into a group of people instead. I mean he is the lord of destruction and in the game; Yuan who is supposedly the greatest blader in Nevareth could not beat him. For those wondering, I plan to write this story through the points of view of both sides of the nations as well.


	3. Where Is The Home I Know

Where is the Home I Know

A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.

~George Moore

_Azkal stepped through the portal. A cold chill ran through this body as realty twisted around him. In an instant he was transported to a huge underground cavern. The air was tinged with the smell of sulfur. The cavern itself was tinted in reds from the glow of streams of free flowing magma._

_He stumbled slightly as he tried to regain his balance. Traveling through portals had often left him dazed and nauseated, while the added stench of sulfur only added to his nausea. After the initial wave of dizziness had passed and his eyes had adjusted to the dim lighting of the cavern did he realize the horror that lay before him._

_What were once oddly shaped shadows and strange rock formations were now the bloody remains his companions. Just ahead of him was Gatz. Lifeless arms hung from his body which had been impaled to a column of stone by his own greatsword. A leg had been completely ripped off while his helmet had been smashed in. To his right lay Ouske. Eyes which had once shone with fire and passion were now lifeless. Her right arm was twisted in an odd angle while she had been slashed from her right shoulder to lower abdomen, with various internal organs spilled out onto the ground._

_Unable to stand the sight before him, Azkal swiftly turned only to spot Edani's cold, lifeless eyes boring into him; his face forever set to a look of utter shock and horror. In shock, Azkal took a step back only to witness the true horror that had befallen the blader. Both arms and legs had been ripped from his body while his chest, in a twisted sense of irony, had been pierced by both his blades, pinning his body to the cavern wall._

_A loud crash saved him from a mental breakdown as he forced his mind to focus and pinpoint the origin of the sound. Training quickly took over as he raced to the scene. Azkal spotted Sal some distance away with her back turned from him. She was supporting her weight on her blade and there were several cracks on her astral shield. Blood dripped from her armor and was slowly pooling beneath her._

_Immediately, Azkal called out to her as he hastily approached. All the while Sal continued to stare into the darkness. Just as he was a few feet from her a long deep crimson tendril shot out from the darkness. Sal barely had time to react as she raised her astral shield and jumped in front of Azkal. The appendage pierced her already weakened astral shield with ease before continuing through her thick armor and through her heart._

_Azkal could only stare in horror as Sal's body was lifted off the ground. The astral shield flickered before fading from existence as her body was consumed by the darkness. Images of the mutilated bodies of his comrades and the horrors they had suffered through filled his mind as his knees buckled beneath him._

_He could sense the beast that had done this within the darkness, feel it crawling through his mind as it projected images of the horrors that it would unleash upon him. Azkal wanted to scream, to lash out at the being that had once been the promise of a new age for humanity, at the beast that had once been the child they had sworn to protect, the child they had failed._

_Without warning a clawed hand sprung from the darkness towards him…_

Azkal's eyes shot wide open as the images faded from his mind. A part of him wished it was all just a dream, but he knew the memory of that day would forever haunt him. Knowing that sleep would be impossible now, Azkal pushed himself into a sitting position. The rocking of the boat and the sound of the waves helped ease his troubled mind as he took deep even breaths.

He had been on this boat for nearly a week now and was glad that in the next few hours he would arrive in Polis Liber. He hated to admit it, but he missed the lush green jungles of Pasture. After all this time of chasing after Patren and uncovering Promethus, he was back in his home continent.

Azkal let out a sigh as he stared into the wooden ceiling of his cabin. How long had it been since he had seen Polis Mordens. He wondered how his sister who was a core alchemist was doing or how he was going to tell Ouske's parents that their only daughter was dead or if he would ever taste another bowl of jook at Anna's.

Shaking these taught out of his head, he knew Mordens would have to wait. He had a legendary blader to find, a world to unite and then, maybe he could go back to Mordens.

0o0o0o

The moment the boat docked at the port city of Polis Liber, Azkal knew this was not the city he remembered. All around, he spotted fighters dressed in purples and whites, the standard colors of Capella. As he descended the gangplank, he spotted the captain speaking to a Capellan warrior. Their hushed tones made it impossible to discern what they were saying.

Pulling the hood of his cloak over his head Azkal increased his pace. While the cloak concealed the battle suit he wore beneath, a trained eye could still spot the soft glow of osmium. While it was not a crime to not support a nation, fighters were often pressured to choose one. Those who decided to remain neutral were often beaten or executed for one reason or another. Bottom line was Azkal needed to get away from the docks and avoid any and all contact with Capella.

Azkal had walking so fast he nearly slammed into two Capellan warriors as he rounded a corner. For a few seconds Azkal was speechless; his mouth agape as he stared at the two warriors towering over him as they effectively blocked his path. Before he could gather his thoughts, the warrior on the right shook his head and muttered something to his partner about 'clueless civilians' as his partner rolled his eyes.

"I'm afraid I can't let you leave the docks, the main city has been closed off." The warrior on the right explained. Nodding briefly, Azkal turned slowly before continuing back where he had come from. Just as he was clearing the turn he came face to face with the warrior who had been speaking to the ship captain.

With a swift motion, an armored fist slammed into Azkal's abdomen. He would have screamed had the wind not been completely knocked out of him. Azkal crumpled to the ground, writing in pain as he gasped for air. Before he could even recover the warrior grabbed him by the throat and viciously slammed him into a nearby wall. The osmium battlesuit had saved him a broken spine but Azkal was struggling to remain conscious.

By now the other two warriors had drawn their weapons. Even on the verge of passing out, Azkal still noted one warrior wielded a spear, while the other a guan dao. The warrior pinning him to the wall however sported two blades. Which meant one of two things, either they were regular army or Capella had allowed her force handlers to experiment on their fighting styles.

Knowing Capella, it was most likely the latter rather than the former. Both situations however, gave him an edge. Ignoring the pain raging through his body, Azkal reached into the very core of his being, felt the raw pulse of energy and with the desperation of a cornered animal, released his hold on it.

Energy in its purest form coursed through his veins. Power surged through his being as bruises vanished, bones snapped back into place and torn tissue mended back together. Sensing the surge of force energy, the fighter pinning him to the wall proceeded to beat him furiously in an attempt to knock him out.

His efforts however were for naught. The earth had hardened his skin, the wind enhanced his senses and the very moisture in the air was tending to his wounds. Azkal knew these fighters who had diverged from the path of the authentic six had yet to master releasing their full potential. A technique developed by the authentic six known as the battle modes.

Azkal knew however he was on borrowed time. While the battle mode gave him super human potential, it was a severe drain on his force energy. Quickly Azkal drew his blade and swung in a forward arch, slicing into the plate armor of the warrior and coating his blade with dark crimson blood.

No longer pinned to the wall, Azkal was upon the three warriors in an instant. With force enhanced speed, Azkal lunged at the two warriors; stabbing forward wildly as his opponents blocked and parried with surprising skill. Having successfully blocked his assault both warriors retaliated with various thrusts and slashes, pushing Azkal back with every attack. Under their combined assault, it seemed he had just dodged a spear thrust before having to block a slash of the guan dao. Even with his force enhanced senses, Azkal could barely strike back. Forgoing a frontal assault, Azkal leapt back, force energy propelling him back by about nine feet from his opponents. Pouring force energy into his blade, Azkal flung his blade which was followed by a shot of pure energy at one of the warriors.

As the force enhance weapon screamed towards the fighter armed with the guan dao, Azkal could just make out the smirk plastered on his lips as he raised his weapon, a thick crimson aura engulfing the blade. The concentration of force energy was so dense Azkal almost mistook it as the activation of a battle mode. Just as the osmium blade was on the verge of impaling the warrior, the blade of the guan dao came crashing down on the osmium blade. The entire area shook as both forces collided, releasing a shockwave of energy.

To Azkal's horror the guan dao had shattered his osmium blade while suffering only a small crack on its blade. The warrior himself though had suffered a deep gash on his right cheek from a fragment of the osmium blade before it had imbedded itself into the far wall while the handle has merely clattered to the floor. The shot that had followed however was not anticipated by the warrior and slammed into him before he could even think, knocking him down as it punched right through his armor as his body spasm uncontrollably from the discharge.

Azkal had no time to consider the implications of what had just happened however as his orb willed energy into his orb, infusing it with the elements around him. As he thrust his hands upwards, several bricks rose from the ground and with a flick of his wrists, they screeched with incredible speed towards the spearman. Knowing it would take more than that to take down the fighter, Azkal continued with a flurry of fire blasts. However, element control was not his forte; and his efforts only achieved making a few dents in the heavy plate armor of the spearman. Around him, the other two warriors were beginning to recover.

Even with the advantage of a battle mode, Azkal was still outmatched. With his blade broken, rapidly dwindling force energy and a few fractured bones Azkal was at his wits end. He did however have one last card up his sleeve. If there was ever a time to be dishonorable, this was it.

Tapping into his nearly depleted energies, Azkal focused his remaining force energy into his orb before altering the frequencies at which it resonated. The once clear flowing energy turned murky. Physically the aura surrounding his orb shifted from a soft white glow to a dark purple. All this took but two seconds as Azkal raised his right hand to, where the orb was placed, to eye-level before swinging it in a horizontal arch, releasing a wave of force energies.

Fearing an attack, the now recovered warriors attempted to block the incoming force only to be left bewildered as it merely dissipated around them. All three warriors gaze at each other for a moment before two burst out laughing while the third simply sneered at what he assumed would be easy prey. It seemed the force blader was so out of it he could barely use his force.

Azkal merely cocked an eyebrow before dashing down the street. All three warriors sprang but to their horror seemingly tripped on their own two feet. Azkal let out a chuckle which painfully reminded him of his fractured ribs. His bones may have snapped back into place, but the battle mode could not heal injuries completely. All the pain in the world however couldn't wipe that smirk off his face.

The wave of force he had sent out was never meant as an attack but a means of escape. By shifting the frequencies of his force was able to manipulate the force within the bodies of his opponents to shift and follow the frequencies he had set. Thus, changing it from its natural frequency and making the body unable to recognize it.

In short, Azkal had paralyzed all three warriors from the waist down, for the moment at least. He would be on the other side of town by the time the numbness in their legs wore off though. This still left him with questions though. Why had Capellan warriors struck against him and why had the port been closed off from the rest of the city?

0o0o0o

For nearly two hours, Azkal had been dashing through alleys, rounding sharp corners and had finally resorted to climbing up rooftops and jumping from one to the other just to avoid the sea of Capellan fighters patrolling the streets.

After narrowly clearing the gap between two buildings, Azkal came to a screeching halt as he spotted a familiar man sitting on the opposite ledge. The man had shoulder length dark brown hair, was clad in a black leather trench coat, black pants, boots and a red scarf while a cigarette hung loosely on his lips. What looked like a violin case was rested on the ledge beside him.

Before Azkal could stop himself, he had uttered the name, "Black Bard." At the mention of this, said bard peered over his shoulder. Bored eyes regarded the force blader before returning to gaze upon the city.

Azkal felt a slight twitch of annoyance at his display. After all this time, he still knew nothing of this traveling minstrel. Not a name, age or even his best song had been revealed. For all he knew, he could've been a fraud. One thing Azkal could be certain of however was that when the Black Bard was involved, it was pretty serious.

After a few tense moments of silence the bard flicked his spent cigarette off the roof and turned from the ledge. "What is it Azkal?" For a moment Azkal was at a loss for words before he finally shrugged. "Well, normally whenever I find you there's always some great mystery that needs to be solved or a looming disaster to be prevented."

Black Bard stared at the force blader for a moment before stifling a laugh. His amusement however was not lost to Azkal who glowered at the wandering minstrel. Finally regaining his composure Black Bard reached into his coat pocket to retrieve another cigarette.

"First of all, on all those occasions, you sought me out," Black Bard stated, pausing to light the cigarette before continuing. "Secondly, I'm a wandering bard; I don't make plans to run into you."

"Well then, perhaps you could enlighten as to why the city has been closed off or just save me the trouble of searching all of Nevareth and tell me where Yuan's been hiding out!" Azkal quipped in frustration at the mocking tone of the bard.

"Now that Azkal, I can help you with, except of course the part about finding Yuan," Black Bard replied in an almost whimsical tone.

"…well?" Azkal demanded.

"How about some dinner, I'm starving." Black Bard stated rather than proposed as he flashed a grin and walked past the disgruntled force blader. "There's a decent inn just across the street." Black Bard continued, ignoring Azkal altogether.

Azkal was on the verge demanding the information that very instant had he not been stopped by his growling stomach. He was bruised, bleeding and apparently, hungry. Resigning to his fate, Azkal fell in step behind the minstrel, tattered cloak billowing in the wind.

As they descended the building and swiftly entered the inn, Azkal wondered why he had enrolled into the academies to begin with. As they entered the inn however, Azkal was assaulted with a myriad of sounds and smells. All around, people were shouting, laughing and having a good time. For the second time that day, his stomach churned as he smelt food cooking away. Taking a seat at one of the many tables, Black Bard waved at who Azkal assumed was the owner of the establishment who in turn smiled back warmly and nodded.

After a hearty meal of breads and grilled dire boar, Azkal had to admit, running into Black Bard was the best thing that had happened over the past few weeks. As much as he enjoyed the meal however, Azkal still had a job to do. Pushing his plate to the side, Azkal turned his attention to his companion.

"So tell me, why was the port closed off from the city?" Azkal asked in a business-like manner. Black Bard let out a sigh as he leaned into his chair. "For starters, you're a wanted man Azkal, we all are," Before Azkal could say a word, Black Bard raised a hand as a gesture for his companion to listen. "A bounty has been placed on everyone involved with the Prometheus investigation, as well as those with connections to Captain Mark."

"But why would anyone do this, who would even know about us?" Azkal thought out loud as he ran a hand through his hair. At this, Black Bard merely shrugged, "your guess is as good as mine. But who could have known about the investigation and have the means to put up a bounty for all our heads?" After a moment's thought, one name came to mind. "Silverwood," Azkal spat the name out as though it were Entra Lug venom.

Black Bard seemed to consider this for a moment before shaking his head, "as much as I'd like to agree, it's not Silverwood. I doubt the man would place a three hundred million alz bounty on his own head." At the mention of this, Azkal's curiosity was piqued. "How much of a bounty are we talking about here?" The force blader had expected a sizeable sum, but three hundred million for just Silverwood!

Black Bard leaned in closer to his companion, all traces of humor gone from his tone. "Last I heard, you and Silverwood are tied, the rest of us got off easy between one and ten million; but Freed topped at over a billion alz. Soon every bounty hunter will be after our sorry hides and then, I'll be just a matter of time…"

His words hung in the air, both men understood the gravity of their situation yet Azkal couldn't help the smirk that tugged on his lips; either way, they were going to find out who was behind all this. But first, there was still the matter of Yuan. Rising from his seat, Azkal bid his companion farewell before continuing out the door. The sun was setting and the crowds had thinned but a few Capellan fighters could still be seen wandering the streets. Once again pulling his hood over his head, Azkal headed straight for the city gates while actively suppressing the energies inside of him lest her garner unwanted attention.

By the time he made it to the city gates, the sun had set completely. Scanning the surrounding area, Azkal spotted a shadowed figure by the wall. Keeping to the shadows, Azkal stealthily made his way over as he studied his target. The man was lying on the ground sleeping, with graying hair and dressed in tattered rags; an empty wooden bowl, cracked and covered in a layer of dirt laid before him. He was positioned far enough from the gates for the guards to ignore him but not too far that a trained ear could not eavesdrop on their conversations in the dead of night.

Seating himself beside the sleeping beggar, Azkal placed a few alz into the bowl. This seemed to rouse the beggar from his sleep as weary eyes regarded the disguised force blader before turning his attention to the bowl. Six coins placed neatly atop one another while a seventh was balanced on the edge of the bowl. The beggar cracked a crooked grin as he flicked the seventh coin into the bowl before pushing himself into a sitting position and returning his attention to Azkal.

"What can the ears and eyes of the Thieves Guild do for you?" The beggar began in a voice that was surprisingly well mannered in tone and seemed to flow like silk. Not bothering to remove his hood or even regard the man Azkal simply replied "I hear a powerful blader had passed through here. Red martial suit, long black hair, custom made blades; she probably caused quite a commotion with the confederates. I need to know where she was headed."

The beggar seemed to ponder over the description for a moment before nodding, "I remember her, took out seven fighters trying to leave the city four days ago. I don't know where she's headed but I do know she had some dealings with the Merchants Guild before leaving." Azkal nodded before placing a few more coins into the bowl and rising to his feet. He finally found a lead on Yuan but she was four days ahead of him. Now he would have to wait another day to contact the Merchants Guild. He would have to find an inn for the night and risk the streets again tomorrow, a prospect Azkal did not find appealing but what other choice did he have.

As he made his way back to the inn, his taught once again drifted back to Polis Mordens. After all this time and after everything that's happened, would it still be the home he left behind all those years ago. He had left for the academies with the naïve thought that he would return a hero. Well, what twelve year old child wouldn't think that? Of course he did technically save the world once already but things never play out like they do in the stories. Many good men and women had given up their lives in that struggle, some of whom he only new by name; and for what? Had they really saved humanity just so it could tear itself apart. Letting out a soft sigh and sparing a glance to regard the world they had tried so hard to save, Azkal almost felt disgusted at what he saw.

Maybe the ideals of Prometheus had been right all along. Maybe humanity needed to be pushed to the very edge of existence before the world could start over anew. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Azkal continued on silently, making sure to keep to the shadows. He shouldn't be thinking like that, it reminded too much of his encounters with Silverwood. Humanity had every right to live; it was the sages that had caused all this. Even after the fall, Capella and Procyon still manipulated humanity. They treated it like a game, with the grand prize of the whole of Nevareth.

Over and over in his mind he kept telling himself he had made the right choice. But every time he saw the state of the world and that of humanity, doubt would creep into his mind and he would question everything he had done and sacrificed for the sake of humanity. He had made the right choice, hadn't he?

* * *

Author's note: Well here it is the much anticipated (at least I hope so) second chapter! I couldn't decide if I wanted to write from a Capellan or Procyon perspective, so I ended up with writing Azkal once again.

In case anyone is wondering, in Cabal Online there are two battle modes plus an aura code for all battle styles. I decided to give Capellan fighters varying weapons not found in game since, if you were paying attention to the prologue chapter, Sage Capella supports developing new battle styles. Procyon fighters will remain with the authentic six styles. Black Bard is an NPC in the game who generally appears to explain things and move the story quest along. He doesn't have a name other than Black Bard that I know of btw.

A special thank you to Royazali, my first reviewer ever! I'm still new at this so glad you liked it and thanks for that second review, it really helped me finish this chapter.

Criticism is appreciated. I do not own Cabal Online.


	4. Setting Up The Pieces

Setting Up The Pieces

Neither enemy faces, nor the mothers that love them, come to mind when one is thinking of nothing but endeavouring to survive.

~ Linda Berdoll

* * *

Seated behind an oak desk, Sage Procyon scanned the pages of the latest report from cont Pasture. Fighters were enlisting into her cause at a rate he could only dream about while her support was growing larger each day. This however, was not a surprise to the Sage. Capella had been the spiritual leader of cont Pasture; it was only natural that the people would support her. But while she had been tremendously successful on cont Pasture, most of cont Midreth now answered to him.

Of the three continents, cont Huan proved to be the most difficult for either of the sages; mostly due to the ever-present authority of the Judin Knightage. Under the command of Sir Luaan, the Knightage had made use of the chaos brought about by the fall of the Sage Tower and took command of most of the mainland. How Luaan had survived while all of the other guild masters had been cut down was beyond Procyon. Perhaps he knew just as they did and had taken measures to ensure his survival. Whatever the case may be, the Knightage was a problem. While he had prepared to deal with Capella, Luaan was an anomaly.

Flipping over to the next page, Procyon arched an eyebrow as he scanned through the contents. It seemed Capella was on the move. According to the report, scouting parties had been sent into the areas surrounding the Spine Mountains in addition to troops being dispatched into every major city. The streets were being watched, incoming ships were boarded and searched, and the gate guards had been doubled. Whatever it is she's up to, she didn't want anyone getting in her way.

Stroking his beard, Procyon considered his option. Capella was obviously looking for something and had effectively blocked all entrances into cont Pasture. He had already lost an informant in one of her searches and entrance through the sea would require nothing less than a full blown invasion. Procyon may have had some of the best fighters in Nevareth -thanks to the many tournaments he had organized for the sole purpose of recruiting skilled fighters- but Capella had number the numbers and for all the skilled fighters he had, they could only cut down so many enemies before they would be overwhelmed.

No, Procyon could not risk a war of attrition but neither could he allow Capella to find…what was she searching for anyway? Scanning the page once more Procyon frowned as he found no information regarding the target of her search. Sighing in frustration, Procyon rose from his seat as he paced about the room. Procyon knew Capella better than any other Sage; after all, they had conspired together but as to why she would go to such lengths to ensure her search was undeterred in anyway was beyond him. What could hold so much value to garner her attention so?

Glancing out a window, Procyon stared out into the snowy landscape. Past the high walls surrounding his fortress, all he could see were the distant peaks of the Vahour Mountains. Here, at the center of cont Midreth and a few miles north from the banks of the Rastear River stood Tempesta Rosa, his haven in a harsh and unforgiving world. From behind these walls would he wage his war against Capella and her so-called 'fair world'.

The isolation of Tempesta Rosa from the outside world bothered him not. Even before the collapse of the Tower of Sages, Procyon had 'acquired' all data pertaining to the use and construction of warp gates. Ironically, he had Sage Capella to thank for that. Without her constant need to pioneer all and every aspect of technology -be it from the honorable age or not- the secrets behind the warp portals an subsequently tha ability to construct and operate them would have remained a mystery.

In just a few weeks time, the portals would be up and ready. No doubt Capella would have done the same by now but none of this mattered. With the portals, he could by pass any barrier Capella had made to ensure he could not enter Cont Pasture. If only he could see the look on her face when his troops came pouring into the very heart of her empire. Now, all he needed to deliver his opening move was the warp coordinates to be delivered by his informants.

0o0o0o

The halls echoed with her footsteps as Luminous Captain Serafina Deluca hastily made her way to the great hall. Clad in the Capellan martial set and two shadow titanium katana strapped to her back; one would almost forget to notice her beautiful green eyes or the braid she would painstakingly weave her silken hair into every morning. With the ability to stop a man dead in his tracks with a mere look and the skill to cut him down in less than a second, Captain Deluca was both feared and admired. But at the moment, said captain was late for an important briefing.

Forgoing protocol, seeing as she was already late, Serafina waved off the guards stationed outside the entrance and proceeded to burst open the doors herself. Most of the crowds glanced her way as the heavy doors parted, allowing entrance. Through the stares and soft murmurs of the crowd Serafina could make out Luminous General Damien Gray standing before a map of Cont Pasture. The General may have been in his late fifties but he was still built like an ox; his muscular frame coupled with the heavy armor set made him an imposing sight.

Even through his thick graying beard, Serafina could still make out a frown on his features. Gritting her teeth and swallowing her pride, Serafina made her way through the crowd, past the aggravated general and took a seat behind him with four other Captains. The room stilled with an uncomfortable silence before the General cleared his throat and continued on.

After nearly two hours of sitting through the briefing, Serafina was glad that it was finally over. A second longer and she would have strangled the old General for over elaborating and stressing the importance of the mission. It didn't help matters that every negative point seemed to be directed at her. Whether the General was being oversensitive or she was just being paranoid, she couldn't say. What was certain however, was the fact that Capella was pouring all her resources into this endeavor.

She had made it out of the great hall and past a courtyard when she felt a familiar presence behind her. Slowing her pace, she waited for him to pass her, but instead he merely fell in step beside her. Sparing him a glance, Serafina couldn't help but scoff as she spotted the martial helm –though it was more of a mask- shielding his features. After all this time, the fool would never take it off. Not one person in the entire confederation knew what Captain Alphonse Grey looked like.

For a moment they walked in silence. She could feel his eyes on her. Like a predator eyeing its prey. She could never guess the inner workings of his twisted mind and in all honesty, she was glad she didn't. Growing tired of the silence, Serafina stopped dead in her tracks just as they rounded a corner. Alphonse stumbled in his steps as he hastily turned to regard her. Serafina couldn't help but smirk as she cocked an eyebrow at his display. His mask however, managed to dissipate most of the humor that she might have felt. In a single moment, Serafina felt a chill run down her spine as hard, cold eyes seemed to bore into her very being.

"What are you playing at Grey!" The moment those words left her mouth she mentally chided herself for sounding vulnerable. She was a fighter damn it and she wasn't going to let some creep in a mask -who probably had less upper body strength than her- get under her skin.

"Something isn't right here Deluca." Alphonse drawled in his usual monotone that somehow came off more as an insult to her intelligence than a simple statement of fact.

"Gee, you think. Personally I'd recommend professional help, but you're too much of a nutcase for any psychiatrist to handle." Serafina snapped. The combination of that mask and his ever present detached personality was grinding on her nerves.

"While I appreciate your concern, I was referring to this mission. Something's not right. " Alphonse continued as though Serafina had not just insulted his state of mind. If one paid attention, they could make out a vain popping on her forehead as she suppressed her impulse to simply strike down the annoying wizard standing before her.

Swallowing her rage under years of discipline –and the mental image of a certain captain dead at her feet- Serafina went through the main objective of their mission. "We're just mapping out some poorly explored areas of the continent, what could be simpler than that?"

"Exactly. Think Deluca, why would they send four combat companies just for an exploration or how about the fact that General Gray is standing by with ten thousand men just in case we come across anything 'interesting'." Alphonse reasoned, his voice slowly becoming more erratic the more he spoke. If she didn't know any better, he almost seemed scared.

Fixing him with a steely glare, she regarded the captain who had slain ten men with a single spell and cleared out a small town infested with demons single handedly. A chill ran down her spine as she came to the realization that he was genuinely spooked. She was not sure if it was the look in his eyes or the minute shiver of his arms she almost missed, but the conclusion was the same.

"What aren't you telling me Grey?" Her glare never faltered as he met her gaze only to break it once more as he turned on his heels.

"Answer me damn you!" Her voice reverberated across the empty halls. Alphonse could hear the crisp sound of twin blades being drawn from their scabbards but he paid them no mind. It was an empty threat. Not only was he needed for this mission but killing him would deny her all her answers. Truth be told, he didn't even know the full extent of what was going on. The parts he did know however was enough to unnerve him.

"I've heard rumor of a ship coming in tomorrow from Polis Vedas carrying unusual cargo, a man to be precise-" Alphonse paused for a moment as he felt a blade press against the side of his neck before continuing at a much faster pace, much to Serafina's delight, "-a force handler with an exceptional bounty on his head." he managed before drawing a folded up piece of parchment from his pouch he mainly reserved for various spell scrolls and tossed it to his rather violent companion.

He could hear the rustling of paper as she unfolded it followed by a gasp, no doubt brought about by the large bounty printed below the likeness of the unknown man. For a moment he waited in uncomfortable silence before a second blade was pressed uncomfortably on the opposite side of his neck.

"Is this a joke, what does this have to do with anything?" Serafina hissed at his back, resisting the urge to simply slice his head off right there and then.

"That man," Alphonse continues with mild irritation, "is said to be connected with the fall of the Tower of Sages. There is a chance he could be connected to what's happening now as well." A moment passed before Alphonse let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding as the blades were returned to their scabbards. Sparing her a quick glance over his shoulder, Alphonse continued down the hall, intent on putting as much distance between him and Serafina.

Serafina watched him leave before turning her attention back on the likeness of the man said to have the answers she sought. She also noticed there was nothing remarkable or astonishing about his features. His was a face that could easily blend into a crowd, completely unnoticed and forgotten even if he had bumped into you. For the first time, Serafina stared into the visage of a man who carried the bounty of three hundred million and was totally unimpressed.

While the rest of the day passed without incident -save for when a pantherhorn somehow made it onto the grounds of Spada Brillante- come the next morning, Serafina had assembled all one hundred and twenty of her troops outside the warp centre. After passing out copies of the wanted posters minus the bounty, she had informed them of the importance of his capture as he held vital information regarding their confederation. That is to say, she told them he was a Procyon spy.

She then divided her company into three groups, one for each Polis -since Grey had no clue as to which port he would be coming in from- comprising of forty per group before sending them off through the portals. They had three days to catch this man before they had to pull back for their exploration assignment four days from now. Sparing one last glance at the grounds of Spada Brillante before advancing to one of the portals; took a steadying breath and shimmered out of existence.

Hours later, the sun had almost set and Serafina had not had a single sighting of her target. While every ship, boat and even raft had been searched and every port closed off, they had turned up nothing. To say she was frustrated would have been an understatement. Perhaps he wasn't coming in through Industria. This entire day had been a waste of time. She was about to 'request' the governor to issue an order that the gates to be closed for the remainder of the day when she heard a small beep from one of her pouches.

Opening up a small pouch from her belt, she retrieved a thin rectangular device roughly the size of her palm. On the left side of the device was a screen that occupied a third of the space with a number pad occupying the rest of the right side. It was a relic from the honorable age used for communication purposes discovered some three hundred years ago. Researchers from the Sage Tower had reversed engineered the device to the point where it could be mass produced, although it could only sent text messages and sometimes took hours to reach their target, it was still faster than any conventional message delivery system.

Pressing a button, the screen lit up and displayed a written message. Her eyes narrowed as she read the report. Placing the device back into its compartment, she quickly ordered three of her men to round up the rest of the troops and regroup by the warp centers. In under half an hour, Serafina and eighty of her troops stepped through the warp portals of Polis Libers. As they combed the streets for their elusive prey, she vowed he would not slip through her fingers. Her first order of business was a visit to the Governors' office for a little 'request'.

A few hours later, Azkal collapsed into a bed. The cramp room and lumpy mattress cost him 5alz for the night but he was content. At this point, he would have paid triple that amount for any bed. Heck he would've traded places with Patren if it meant he would have a bed in that dimension he voluntarily trapped himself in. After a day of running around the city –and jumping from rooftops- evading Capellan fighters and tracking down the thieves' guild, he would have been content with crawling up in a cave for some rest. Just when he taught he had found peace, sleep could not come to him. This was just typical. He finally had a –somewhat- comfy bed to sleep on and the universe decides to bestow upon him insomnia.

Rising up from his bed, Azkal opened up his bag and pulled out what was once a sword hilt. The guard which was triangular in shape, bearing a design at its center which held a striking similarity to a skull was shattered at the tip where the blade once was. A crack had formed from the guard down to the grip just before reaching the pommel. The green of osmium shone in the darkness, casting a sickly green glow about the room. In the past, Azkal had always found comfort basking in its unnatural glow and observing how different everything looked tinted in green. He would sometimes imagine that this was how the monsters he battled saw the world; the sight of demons and predators. But now, the glow brought only grief as the shadowed images of his slain comrades flashed into his mind.

Azkal regarded the broken weapon with a mixture of pride and grief. Proud that it had served him well and grief for like everything in his life, it was snatched away from him. The osmium blade had been a gift from Sal for their graduation from the academy. Although he had favored and trained with the katana, he had quickly grown accustomed to the weight of the blade. It was his last link he had to his past. It was a past filled with memories when everything made sense. It was a past he had foolishly squandered with the belief that his peaceful existence would last forever. It was a past he had longed to return to but knowing that it would never be.

A sad smile formed on his lips as he fingered a small inscription scratched onto the surface of the pommel which read 'il mio cuore batte soltanto per te'. Azkal placed a soft kiss on those words from the woman he would never hear nor touch ever again before resting his forehead upon it. For the first time since their deaths, Azkal wept.

* * *

A.N: Finally chapter 3 and the introduction of Procyon and Capellan forces with more focus on Capella right now but hopefully more Procyon in the future. I have a rough idea of where this story is going but I'm not exactly sure how to get there...so if anyone wants to share their ideas please feel free to do so. Criticism is appreciated, I'm sure I have a more than a few mistakes floating around up there, so feel free to let me know about them.


	5. Cat and Mouse

Cat and Mouse

The real hero is always a hero by mistake; he dreams of being an honest coward like everybody else.

~ Umberto Eco

* * *

Growling. Out of all the noises a monster could make, Yuan decided growling was the most annoying. And it wasn't any kind of growling either. It was the wet kind, you know the one where there's drool dripping down its maw, exposing layers of razor sharp teeth but you couldn't see it anyway because you're in an underground tunnel system. Yes out of all the sounds, it had to be that.

To make matters worse, it was coming from behind her. Not too close that it would spring forth and attack her, but not a comfortable distance away either. Her blades had long since been drawn and would have long since faced the beast had it not been for the two sets of glowing yellow eyes that shone in the darkness not two meters in front of her.

Through the gloom, she could just make two humanoid forms, katana in each hand. Although they, for all intents and purposes appeared human, there was something about the way they carried themselves –not to mention their glowing eyes- that seemed unnatural. It was as though there was some demonic entity that lurked beneath the surface waiting to be unleashed, to shed the flesh of the mortal that housed its full potential.

Her blood ran cold as she realized they gave of the same cold inhuman aura as when she had encountered the thieves under the command of Kashu. If she was right, then whatever it was that lurked in the shadows behind her was about as dangerous as a house cat compared to the forces commanded by these two 'men' in front of her. She was suddenly very glad her blades were pointed at these two rather than at the beast behind her.

It was a three on one battle and one thing was certain. Thing were about to get very bad, for them that is. Faster than their eyes could register, Yuan leaped forward, slamming a knee into one of her would be attackers, knocking him back before she brought her blades down upon him, opening up an x-shaped gash from his abdomen to his shoulders. Black ichor sprayed from the body as it crumpled to the floor.

Before the other could recover, Yuan had spun around, her blades drawn upwards as she shifted into a sweeping motion, her entire body twisting fluidly as the blades danced in a circular arch around her before rising violently, propelled by her energies as it swept across her opponents form. He had no time to even scream as his body fell, splitting cleanly in two and coating the surrounding area in a fine mist of dark fluids.

Yuan had barely a second to respond as she heard claws scrape across the hard cave floor. With little warning, a beast leapt from the darkness, five inch claws and fangs brought to bear, snarling at its prey. It the length of half a second, Yuan rolled to her right, stabbing her left blade into the beast while it was still in midair eliciting a yelp of pain from it. As it came crashing down on its side, her right blade came crashing down and delivered a vicious blow to its neck.

The beast struggled, trying desperately to free itself, to which Yuan merely twisted her blades deeper into its flesh. Howls of agony died down into silent whimpers before the tunnels were silent once more. Sure that the beast was dead, Yuan pulled her blades from its lifeless corpse before flicking her blades clean and continuing on her way. No man, beast or demon was going to keep her from it and she'd be dammed before letting him have his way with the world.

She had made it a few yards from her last encounter before the darkened hallways lit up once more with the many yellow eyes of demon as various growls reverberated just beyond the darkness, yet legendary blader didn't even flinch. Form a humans perspective, she was living the nightmares of hell, but the same could be said for the legions facing the lone fighter. From their eyes, they saw, not a mortal woman but a being far deadlier than themselves, bathed in the blood of their comrades steadily marching towards them promising only death delivered upon twin blades.

Back in Polis Libers, Azkal stretched out on his bed. Light shone through an open window as he stared up into the ceiling. He had only gotten a few hours of sleep last night and now the effects of last night's exertions were taking effect. Every muscle of his body ached while old wounds acted up. Sighing, Azkal pushed himself out of bed before packing up his belongings.

He froze for a moment as he picked up the handle of his now shattered blade. Memories came flooding back but he merely shook them away, sealing them back into the back of his mind. He couldn't afford carrying the weight of his conscience today. The merchants' guilds were not people you would want to deal with while your mind was troubled. These money minded businessmen would exploit any opening regardless of ethics to get the best deals. They were even worse than the thieves' guild at underhanded methods of dealing.

Regardless, Azkal needed their information if he ever wanted the whereabouts –or at least a clue- of Yuan. Before leaving, Azkal had fished an old epaulet from his pack. What made it special was that it projected an image over the wearer, disguising the battle set into a more inconspicuous tunic worn by most of the less martial population of Cont Pasture. Of course, there was only enough power within the epaulet for a few hours but that was all the time he needed.

As expected, Capellan fighters still roamed the streets. Adjusting his glasses, Azkal made his way to the markets; all the while suppressing the energies swirling inside of him less another fighter detects its presence.

A few blocks away Captain Deluca was barking orders. Her entire company was sent out in teams of four with each team carrying a signal flare. That way, should any one team run into him others could be notified immediately. She herself, would be searching alone, much to the chagrin of her subordinates. Regardless of their protests, her mind was made up. Three hundred million bounty or not, he couldn't be that powerful, reasoning that the information he held was the main reason for the ridiculous amount.

She stopped in her tracks when she sensed a flicker of force energy. What really caught her attention was that it seemed subdued but at the same time attempting to lash out. Whomever it belong to was clearly trying to hide their presence. Instead of scanning the area with her eyes, Serafina focused on the specific patterns created by the energy. Years of training had refined her mind's eye and within a few moments, had narrowed down the location of its source.

Sprinting down the wide streets, she couldn't believe her luck. It was pure coincidence that she picked up the spark of energy. Her prey was close and unknowingly, her blades had been drawn. Rounding a corner, she stopped dead in her tracks as she eyed the crowds gathered in the market. She could still sense his energies but in this crowd it was nearly impossible to find him. Gritting her teeth, Serafina forced herself to calm down.

She wanted lash out at the crowd just to see who would react to the assault but hastily banished the taught as she reminded herself she now served the peoples of Cont Pasture. As long as they supported Sage Capella, she could not raise arms against them. Still fuming at these turn of events, Serafina delved into the crowd. If she had stumbled upon his 'scent' once, perhaps she could do it again.

Somewhere within the crowds of the morning market, Azkal stood in front of a rather portly grocer. The only reason Azkal was talking to him was the fact that he wore an emblem of the Merchants Guild. However, they seemed to be at an impasse partly due to the fact that Azkal refused to purchase a fine sculpture of what looked to be a troglo, sporting a toothy grin and partly because, the merchant refused to grant him an audience with the higher-ups of the guild without said purchase.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Azkal pinched the bridge of his nose. The portly merchant was giving him a migraine and seemed to be enjoying it too. It wasn't the fact that the sculpture cost a thousand alz or that it was larger than his torso. No, what really bothered him was the way its eyes seemed to follow his every move while that grin just creped him out. There was no way in hell he was buying that sculpture and damn whoever made it in the first place.

Elsewhere within the crowd, Serafina was equally frustrated. In this sea of people, she had completely lost any grasp she had on his faint energies. She had gone from tracking to searching and was now simply scanning the various vendors for any signs of her quarry. However, it seemed the more she searched the more the crowd blended together and soon every face started looking the same as the last. A sinking feeling started to form in the pit of her stomach as any hope of finding him slowly slipped through her fingers.

Wading through the sea of people, Serafina was suddenly reminded that she had skipped breakfast that morning as her stomach growled in protest. Seeing as she had lost his trail anyway, she may as well have a bite to eat. Taking a momentary break from her search, Serafina made her way to a vendor. The stall was small and manned by a young couple selling noodles. Just in front of the stall were four tables that just managed to seat four.

As she walked up to the stall she quickly scanned the faces of the occupants of the two tables that were occupied while mentally noting that the last table seemed to be in a rather bad shape and was practically falling apart. After ordering a bowl Serafina took a seat and began plotting out her next move. All thoughts of finding him however were pushed aside when she took a bite. The combination of realizing how hungry she was and the surprisingly good noodles was enough to make her mind go blank and simply focus on her meal.

As Serafina was enjoying her meal, Azkal had become the 'proud' owner of a finely crafted yet somewhat creepy troglo statue. After the merchant had successfully given Azkal the migraine of a lifetime while continually offering to do so over and over again, Azkal had reluctantly bought the statue. Once he had secured a time and place for the meeting Azkal had all too happily discarded that god-awful statue his eyes had the displeasure of gazing upon.

The meet would take place in a small restaurant a few blocks away from the market around noon. Azkal was somewhat surprised by the timing. Normally, the merchants took hours to set these things up but it seems they were in a rush today. With any luck, Azkal could be out of this Capellan infested city in the next few hours.

After finishing her meal and leaving a rather generous tip Serafina had resumed her search. After wandering around aimlessly for nearly an hour, she had forgone the markets and had instead taken to the surrounding streets just outside the market. She figured he would have to come out sometime and when he did, she would be waiting.

Fortunately for her, she didn't have to wait long before she sensed the familiar spike of force energy. It was faint, but now she knew exactly what to look for. In a moment, she was off. She couldn't afford to lose him this time.

Hidden within the shadows of a nearby alleyway, a pair of eyes watched in silence as the female capellan blader raced down the general direction of the anomaly. Several hooded figures stood behind him. They all bore black martial masks, hiding all save their eyes which gave off a faint yellowish glow. Raising a hand, the lead man motioned them to move out before slinking back into the shadows.

Serafina was sprinting as fast as her legs could carry her. It was times like these she wished she had paid more attention during all those force control classes back at the academies. If she had, she could've channeled it to give her nearly superhuman speed. Her old instructor was probable rolling in his grave laughing at her.

She came to an abrupt halt however when a loud hissing followed by a loud band and a flash of light caught her attention. A flare had been launched just a few blocks away to her right. Smiling, Serafina took off in that direction. There would be no escape for him now.

Azkal cursed under his breath. Every fighter within the city would have seen that flare. To make matters worse, he still hadn't found a replacement for his blade. Several fighters stood around him with weapons drawn. Two force shielders blocked the path before him while four bladers flanked him on both sides. He could incapacitate three fighters with a binding curse like he did yesterday but that still left three to deal with. Thankfully, his opponents weren't on the offensive, yet. They were probably waiting for backup to show up. But that would only complicate matters later.

Judging that he needed to act now Azkal extended both of his arms to his side before shifting into a lower stance. Immediately all four bladers sprang forward, blades cutting through the air as they descended upon him. Lightning danced at his fingertips before energy crackled from his extended palms.

Faster than their eyes could track, lightning arched from is arms. The force of the blow knocked back a fighter on either side while blinding the other two. Azkal could barely dodge their blind swings as two of their comrades writhed in pain, energy still coursing through their system. In mere moments, the two remaining force shielders joined the fray.

He was just a fraction too slow as he dodged a downward, opening up a gash across his right shoulder. The fact that his left arm was still attached to his body was thanks only to the layers osmium fibers woven into the fabric. Clutching his arm, Azkal knew he'd be lucky to walk away from this fight. Once again he noticed they showed no signs of attacking and simply covered all exits.

Already, Azkal was channeling his energies to mend back together torn tissue. However, the cut was deep and would take close to a few hours just to close the wound let alone completely heal. Frantically, he searched for the tiniest crack in their defenses but instead, his eyes settled on an approaching lone figure. For a moment, grey eyes met green.

Serafina studied the scene before her with intent. Two fighters lay unconscious; the sturdy fibers that made up their armor singed in places, two bladers secured the rear exit while two force shielders stood between him and her. In a moment she met his gaze. There was no fear or hatred present in those grey orbs, merely contempt and something else. Sadness, grief; she didn't know and frankly, she didn't want to know.

She was but fifteen paces away from him when she noticed a shadow descend upon her. Instinctively, Serafina spun around, her blades drawn only to be met by a vicious kick to her face. The blow knocked her off her feet, her blades clattering to the ground. Rising slightly, Serafina glared daggers at her assailant and although he appeared human, there was odd sense resonating from his being.

Her blood froze however when she noticed the dark crimson tinting their osmium martial sets instead of the regular green. Serafina could barely reach out for her blades before her assailant delivered another kick to her temples causing her world to fade to black.

Behind the dark martial mask, a smile slowly tugged at his lips. Already the largest threat standing between him and the anomaly had been dealt with. As expected, the remaining four fighters were blindly charging to avenge their commander. Already he could sense the energies emanating from the multitude of fighters closing in on their position but it mattered not. Soon they would have the anomaly and be able to return to the master. Humans were so predictable it was almost sad.

Azkal watched in disbelief as the two forces clashed. The two bladers were caught up in a one on one battle but it seemed the force shielders had carved a bloody path through the enemy's ranks, easily knocking down any that stood in their way with their astral shields, intent on reaching their fallen comrade.

Pulling his eyes from the battle, Azkal turned tail and ran, but not before picking up a titanium blade from one of the unconscious bladers. He didn't know how many turns he took or how far he had ran but he instinctively knew it was nowhere near far enough. Ducking into a nearby alleyway, Azkal collapsed as his legs gave way. If he hadn't lost so much blood and was on the verge of passing out, he might have realized that he had left behind a bloody trail to be followed.

Struggling to stay awake, Azkal could barely hear the steady footfalls approaching. His mind barely registered a foot kicking away the sword his arm had stubbornly held on to despite the protests of his body. As his vision blurred, the last thing he remembered were emotionless ember eyes seemingly boring into his very soul.

* * *

A.n: Well this chapter took longer than I expected but rest assured I don't plan on letting this end up like all the other half finished Cabal fanfics on this site. Review!


	6. Investigations

Investigations

You can't run away from trouble. There ain't no place that far.

~Uncle Remus

If looks could kill, Hiel would've been the greatest assassin the world had ever known. Thankfully for the young red haired adventurer, it couldn't. But that didn't stop the old man from trying. It seemed no matter how many doors, mazes, traps and various monsters he had let loose to guard the entrances of lab, these young adventurers still managed to get through.

Sneering at his 'guest', Hiel finally broke his glare and opted for a new technique. With surprising agility for his age, the old alchemist turned on his heels and completely disregarded the red haired adventurer and continued on with his research. For his part, Freed was not fazed. Had knew fully just how stubborn the old man could be but he would not be leaving without what he had came for.

"I need your help Hiel," Patren said with a pleading tone but the alchemist merely scoffed as he continued to scribble down notes on his latest experiment.

"You're the only person who could know of its location," Still, the alchemist paid him no heed. Losing his patience, Freed slammed a fist into the table, rattling jars and canisters but still he received no reaction.

"Does the fate of the world not matter to you old man, why must you be so stubborn!" Freed snapped before picking up a random jar and throwing it into the far wall, coating the surrounding area in a thick, bubbling mass of putrid green.

Hiel jerked his head upwards, settling his gaze on the young man. The aging alchemist didn't know if he should be impressed or outraged but reasoned in his mind that the sooned Frred left, the sooner he could get back to his research as well as reduce the amount of damage dealt to his equipment.

Turning away from Freed, Hiel steadily made his way to an old bookcase housing various ancient tomes; some of which predated the Honorable Age. After a few minutes of searching before finding what he was looking for. Hiel began flipping through the pages as her walked back to where Freed had been waiting.

Finally settling on a page, Hiel settled the tome on his workbench before pointing to an image of box-shaped artifact. The artifact seemed to be made out of eight separate cubes imbedded with circuitry suspended around a shimmering orb of energy.

"Unfortunately, the text only describes the characteristics and properties of these artifacts and not their present location. But there is someone who might know." Hiel said as Freed studied the image. He had known these artifacts to be lost but something containing such power was not easily destroyed.

"So, are you going to tell me who it is or have you gone senile in your old age?" Freed knew he was pushing his luck with such a comment but Hiel was rarely in a mood to give out information freely. If there was one sure way to ensure he would be leaving with the information, it was to exploit Hiel one true weakness; his unyielding pride. Much to Freed's surprise, Hiel merely grinned at his attempt at provoking the ageing alchemist.

"You'd be surprised to know you've met him before. In fact, he paid me a little visit and said you would be coming," replied Hiel, an uncharacteristic grin planted on his face the serve only to add to Freed's discomfort. "Silverwood sends his regards."

Freed had only a fraction to react before he felt a powerful force pushing down on him. In an instant, the walls shifted and blended into one another before a blinding flash of light obscured his vision. Freed found himself being slammed into a wall. On the opposite wall stood the warp portal that had once led to Hiel laboratory. The portal shimmered once before imploding upon itself.

Freed stared at the empty space that one supported the warp portal as he struggled to come to grips with the fact that Silverwood was once again two steps ahead of him. Clenching his fists as anger swelled inside of him, Freed quickly got back on his feet and exited the warp center.

He was quickly greeted by the scorching sands of Desert Scream. While the colony had changed little since his last visit, he couldn't help but notice the increase in amount of fighters gathered. While Cont Pasture and Cont Midreth had quickly succumbed to the influence of Capella and Procyon, Cont Huan was now united under the Knightage which immediately made Sir Luaan the most powerful man on the continent.

While the Knightage may have lacked the power of force handlers, their discipline and training made for some of the deadliest fighters. Potential knights were selected and trained in the arts of war from the age of four. While a few hundred are selected, only handfuls are ever knighted. Most candidates who didn't make the cut end up in the regular army or forming mercenary companies.

Freed had barely taken two steps out of the warp center entrance when a familiar voice called out to him. Standing a few meters to his left and waving his arms was Menzias. Freed had only known the arms dealer for a few months when he still considered Silverwood as a friend. It was through him that he had met the legendary blader Yuan. Of course with the company he was keeping, he would've met Yuan sooner or later.

Once again anger swelled inside of him as he was reminded of Silverwood's took all his effort to contain the torrent of emotions swelling inside of him and instead, offered a friendly greeting to Menzias.

"What brings you to back here; another excavation job?"

0o0o0o

"Explain to me how this could happen a day before the launch of this operation, General." Although her tone belied no emotion, General Gray knew beneath the mask of objectivity raged an inferno that could reduce him to ashes should he not tread carefully.

"Rest assured milady, the mission will continue. I had no knowledge of Captain Deluca's investigations at Polis Libers. Based on the information gathered, I believe she was pursuing a lead regarding the fall-" General Gray would never finish that sentence however as Capella rose from behind her desk, her beautiful features now twisted into a look of utter rage directed directly at the now trembling general.

"I will have none of your excuses!" With a swift motion of her hand, the temperature around General Gray dropped drastically. In an instant, the general found himself encased in a thick block of ice; save for his head. "Your inability to keep your subordinates in check has jeopardized this entire operation. Were there someone else I could trust for this task you would already be in pieces."

Even after years of harsh training and nearly three decades battling men and monstrosities, General Grey was visibly terrified by the brief show of power of one who held the title of sage. Capella was not known for her temper but neither was she known for her forgiveness.

With another motion of her hand, the icy prison holding him vaporized. The mild vapor burns were a small price to pay for his freedom. The moment he was released, General Grey fell to his knees and let out a breath of relief. The fact that he was granted a second chance by Capella showed just how much the former sage valued his loyalty and discretion. After all, not many could be trusted with such information. Even the other officers involved did not know the true intentions on their mission.

If all went well, Capella would wield the most powerful weapons ever forged that not even Procyon himself would be able to rival. However Capella had no doubt in her mind that he had already infiltrated her ranks which was exactly why the only people who knew of these weapons and their rumored whereabouts were General Gray and herself. If everything went according to plan, Procyon would never know until it was too late.

"You will find an adequate replacement for Captain Deluca and there will be no mistakes, General." General Gray knew by the firmness of her tone that he would be granted no more chances to redeem himself. He would either succeed in this task or perish.

Elsewhere in Spada Brilante, Captain Grey stared at the heavy wooden door that once led into the quarters of Captain Deluca. Although on the outside, Gray maintained a cold and detached demeanor, the opposite could be said of how he felt within.

Pushing open the door, he gazed at the simplistic nature of the room. Deluca was born and bred for the battlefield since the age of six and that fact was reflected the most right here in her room. Instantly he was filled with guilt as he merely stood at the threshold of her door and he couldn't bring himself to take another step forward. He had sent her on this errand when he could have easily done it himself. Now because of his cowardice, Captain Deluca was missing. He had only received word of her absence hours ago and with only half a day before the start of the mission, there was hardly any time to organize a search.

Heavy footsteps snapped him out of his thoughts. An armored hand found its way to his shoulder and he immediately knew who it belonged to. Almost reflexively, Captain Grey shrugged the hand off his shoulder and spun around to face the aging General Gray. Even behind the mask, one could see hatred and disgust in his eyes, yet the general remained stoic.

"I know you're involved in this, just count yourself lucky I can't prove it." The scowl behind the captain's mask merely deepened at hearing the general's words.

"Don't do me any favors General, you and I both know that's a lie." To his credit, the general belied no emotion to his jabs. After years of attitude from him, there was little that he could say that would affect him.

"Don't think that just because you're my son-"

"Don't you ever call me that! You are no father of mine." Captain Grey's sudden outburst had startled some of the nearby residences. Already doors were swinging open as curious occupants regarded the two officers.

"You think this is a game. Do you think that changing a letter in your name and wearing that mask will change who you are. You are my son, nothing you do will change that fact." Although the Generals tone was hushed, the intensity behind it sent shivers down the young man's spine.

"Your son died a long time ago. He died the day you condemned your own wife to death." It took all his courage to push pass the aging general, and even then he could feel his entire being quake. He had barely taken two steps when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder that caused his steps to falter.

"One day, you will understand why I did what I did." Pulling away and as quickly as his legs could carry him, Captain Alphonse Grey ran from the prying eyes of those around him, away from the man he had once loved and respected, but deep within his heart he knew he could never outrun his past or his legacy.

The sun had set a few hours ago, but the investigation team had yet to call it a day. The Capellan fighters under the command of Captain Deluca had long since been sent back to Spada Brilante, leaving only the three man investigation team to make sense of this mess. At its head was Detective Joseph Lee, a man who had been in the field for nearly two decades. His head was clean shaven and he sported a goatee which only enhanced his naturally intimidating features. With his muscular build and dark sunglasses -which he refused to take off even in the dead of night- it was easy to mistake him for a mercenary or thug. His other two companions however were not so intimidating.

Currently examining the fallen bodies of one of the dark bladers was Corporal Paul Wreath. Paul was a young man of slight build with slightly spiky hair and an ever positive attitude that would sometimes get on the nerves of his other two teammates. As a professional core alchemist, he had spent most of his time working in offices or labs and had only been 'promoted' to field duty for a couple of months now.

A few steps away from him and examining a pool of dried blood was Sergeant Anna Bright. True to her name, the Sergeant usually had a sunny disposition and a knack for diffusing even the most awkward situations. She was also the only force handler in the group. Why she had left the service of the Tower of Sages before the fall was a mystery that she revealed to no one, not even her superiors. Still, the service of a force archer was hard to turn down and so here she was. What was particularly interesting about this particular pool of blood was that it hadn't oxidized to the regular reddish-brown and instead looked fresh despite being at least seven hours old.

Thus far, their investigations had turned up nothing significant. Even more puzzling was the fact that the Capellan Military had turned this case over to them. In all his years, Lee had never even heard of the military turning over one of their cases. The fact that they would entrust the task of finding one of their officers to them left him with a bad feeling. Never the less, he had a job to do. His top priority right now was finding Captain Deluca, even if it meant traveling to the heart of the Dark Clan. He just hoped he didn't end up like Detective Bein.

Bein had been a close friend of his, the two had graduated together, and he had even met his family. One day, Bein was out on routine missing persons investigation, and a few weeks later, he just dropped off the grid. When Lee had tried to pull Bein's latest case file, he found out all his records had been wiped. It was as if his friend had never existed. When he tried to launch his own investigation into this, he had received a stern warning from his superiors and had taken a forced vacation. Something about his current case reminded him of what had happened to Bein. It left an uneasy feeling in his mind that he just couldn't shake. For all their sakes, he hoped he was wrong.

Sifting through the rubble, Lee could instantly spot the telltale signs of astral burns. These were marks that could only be left behind by astral weapon discharge. Unlike regular force usage, the surfaces were smoothened out, as though someone had melted the stones then sandpapered it. On contact with flesh, astral weapons would superheat the flesh to the point that it literally melts off the bone. As interesting as this was however, it didn't provide any information they already didn't know. Lee's attention was suddenly brought elsewhere as Bright waved him over. Crouching next to the sergeant, he gazed at the rectangular device with circuits running through it that she held out to him.

"Found it on the body, looks like a PL-9.5 warp circuit. I tried getting a read on it but it's too old for any of our standard field gear." Lee merely nodded and secured the device. He would bring it down to the labs back in headquarters as soon as they finished off with the area. Those core alchemist egg heads would have a field day when they got their hand on this. However, one look around and Lee couldn't help but grimace. There was still a lot ground to cover and at the rate they were going, they would have to pull an all-nighter.

0o0o0o

The morning sun cast a warm glow over the streets of Polis Libers. Already, merchants were setting up their wares while the streets began to fill up with people. In a section of these streets that had been closed off from the general public however, Detective Lee and his two coworkers were just about finished sifting through the last pile of rubble. After nearly seven hours, the three members of the investigation team had only three old warp circuits, a busted communicator and an epaulet that had long since run out of power.

Stretching out the aches caused by long hours of kneeling and sifting through bodies and rubble, Sergeant Bright was beyond tired. Corporal Wreath had fallen asleep a few meters outside their designated scene so there was little risk of him contaminating evidence. It was however, most unprofessional of him, but the Sergeant couldn't blame him. Pushing herself to her feet, the weary Sergeant somehow managed to drag her feet to the slumbering Corporal. She was just about to wake him when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

On pure instinct, she spun around, crystals fully aglow and astral bow at the ready only to come face to face Detective Lee. His hands were raised and a casual smirk tugging at his lips. Behind his tinted glasses, she could almost see the humor in his eyes.

"Don't sneak up on me Lee; I almost blew your head off." Lee merely shrugged and looked past her shoulder at Paul.

"I see the kid's tired himself out." Anna stepped aside to reveal her sleeping comrade and gave Lee a look that warned him not to try anything. Although Lee may have been in his early forties, the detective acted like a four year old when it didn't concern work. Anna had been shocked at the contrast in personality but had grown used to it in time. She was surprised however when he merely gave her an understanding look.

"It's been a long night Anna. Get the kid home and both of you get some rest." Lee said before walking away.

"Where are you going; and what's with the paternal attitude, you're not dying on me are you?" frowning, Anna asked before he rounded the corner.

"Just looking out for my men, and I need to drop this off before catching some sleep," fishing through his pocket, Lee flashed her the rectangular warp card they had found earlier before vanishing round the corner. Sighing, Anna shook the slumbering Corporal awake before making her way back to her home.

Outside the gates of Spada Brilante, some six hundred fighters began their march. They were tasked with the mapping of the poorly explored areas west of the northern Spine Mountains and the coast of Senia. Among these six hundred however, Captain Grey was probably the only person to suspect a hidden agenda. He had regretted his decision that had caused the disappearance of Captain Deluca, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Deluca was lost, and with it went any chance of unveiling the Sage's true intentions before it was too late.

Fingering the device hidden within his uniform, Alphonse Grey frowned behind his mask. It seemed he had no other way out. As soon as he uncovered the truth behind this mission, he would have to call them in.

* * *

A.N: Thing have been busy for the last couple of weeks so this took much longer then expected. Hopefully, I'll be able to post the next chapter sooner.


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